Rodney Saulsberry is an American

voice-over Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique used in radio, television, filmmaking, theatre, and other media in which a descriptive or expository voice that is not part of the narrative (i.e., non- ...

performer, actor, vocalist, announcer and author, known for his voice work on commercials (

Twix Twix is a chocolate bar made by Mars Inc., consisting of a biscuit applied with other confectionery toppings and coatings (most frequently caramel and milk chocolate).The biscuit is typically topped with caramel and then coated with milk chocol ...

Zatarain's Zatarain's is an American food and spice company based in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the United States that makes a large family of products with seasonings and spices that are part of the cultural cuisine and heritage of Louisiana and New Orlean ...

), his three books ''You Can Bank on Your Voice'', ''Step Up to the Mic'', ''Rodney Saulsberry's Tongue Twisters and Vocal Warm-Ups'', the host of the popular podcast ''Success Talks With Rodney Saulsberry'' and the voice of

Robbie Robertson Jaime Royal Robertson (July 5, 1943 – August 9, 2023) was a Canadian musician of Indigenous and Jewish ancestry. He was the lead guitarist for Bob Dylan's backing band in the mid-late 1960s and early-mid 1970s. Robertson was also the ...

in the 1994 animated TV series '' Spider-Man: The Animated Series''. Saulsberry's first R&B album ''Rodney Saulsberry'' produced two ''Billboard''-charting singles, "I Wonder" and "Look Whatcha Done Now".

Career

As an actor, Saulsberry's films include '' The Philadelphia Experiment'' (1984), ''

Tango & Cash ''Tango & Cash'' is a 1989 American buddy cop action comedy film starring Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell, Jack Palance, and Teri Hatcher. The film follows the titular pair of rival police detectives who are forced to work together after a crim ...

'' (1989), and the animated feature '' The Invincible Iron Man'' (2007). His voice work includes audiobooks and numerous film trailers (''

How Stella Got Her Groove Back ''How Stella Got Her Groove Back'' is a 1998 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan, adapted from Terry McMillan's best-selling 1996 novel of the same title. The film stars Angela Bassett, Taye Diggs (in his ...

'', ''

Finding Forrester ''Finding Forrester'' is a 2000 American drama film directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Mike Rich. In the film, a black teenager, Jamal Wallace (Rob Brown (actor), Rob Brown), is invited to attend a prestigious private high school. By chanc ...

'', ''

Crooklyn ''Crooklyn'' is a 1994 American semi-autobiographical film produced and directed by Spike Lee, who wrote it with his siblings Joie and Cinqué. Taking place in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, during the summer of ...

''). He narrated the documentary ''Ax Handle Saturday: 50 Years Later'' (2010), ''Michael Jackson: Life of a Superstar'' (2009), Andy Bobrow's mockumentary ''

The Old Negro Space Program ''The Old Negro Space Program'' is a short mockumentary in the style of a Ken Burns film. Imagining a black space program, whose "blackstronauts" were racial segregation, excluded from "White NASA", the film lampoons Burns's history of the Negro ...

'' (2004), a satire on

Ken Burns Kenneth Lauren Burns (born July 29, 1953) is an American filmmaker known for his documentary films and television series, many of which chronicle American history and culture. His work is often produced in association with WETA-TV or the Nati ...

' ''

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

'' (1994), and the Marvin Gaye ''E! True Hollywood Story'' (1998). Currently, Rodney is the radio announcer voice for the New Orleans Pelicans Basketball Team 2012 Season. ''Upscale Magazine'' regarded Saulsberry as "a voice to be reckoned with", while ''

Black Enterprise ''Black Enterprise'' (stylized in all caps) is an American multimedia company. A Black-owned business since the 1970s, its flagship product ''Black Enterprise'' magazine has covered African American businesses with a readership of 3.7 mil ...

'' magazine labeled him "the voice of choice for behind-the-scenes-narration". On television, he has been seen in various guest-star roles, including the recurring role of Anthony Walker on ''

The Bold and the Beautiful ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' (often referred to as ''B&B'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. It premiered on March 23, 1987, as a sister show to the Bells' other soap opera ''Th ...

'' (1987) '' Law & Order: LA'' (2010) ''

Taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a Driving, driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of thei ...

'' (1978), ''

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (an acronym for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richa ...

'' (1972), ''

Gimme a Break! ''Gimme a Break!'' is an American television sitcom created by Mort Lachman and Sy Rosen that aired on NBC for six seasons from October 29, 1981, to May 12, 1987. The series starred Nell Carter as the housekeeper for a widowed police chief ...

'' (1981), ''

227 Year 227 (Roman numerals, CCXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Senecio and Fulvius (or, less frequently, year 980 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination ...

'' (1985), ''

The A-Team ''The A-Team'' is an American Action television, action television series that ran on NBC from January 23, 1983, to March 8, 1987, about a fictional team of former United States Army Special Forces who work as mercenaries while on the run from ...

'' (1986), ''

Hill Street Blues ''Hill Street Blues'' is an American serial police procedural television series that aired on NBC in prime-time from January 15, 1981, to May 12, 1987, for 146 episodes. The show chronicles the lives of the Metropolitan Police Department staff ...

'' (1981), '' Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman'' (1993), ''

Without a Trace ''Without a Trace'' is an American police procedural drama television series created by Hank Steinberg that aired on CBS from September 26, 2002, to May 19, 2009 with the total of seven seasons and 160 episodes. The series focuses the cases of ...

'' (2002) and ''

Monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

'' (2002). He was a series regular in the role of Jeff Johnson on '' Capitol'' (1982). Saulsberry, who has composed original music for several productions, created the film, television and commercial music placement website, Tomdor Music, in the fall of 2011.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Public appearances

Saulsberry has performed on the television variety show ''

Soul Train ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. After airing locally on WCIU-TV in Chicago, Illinois, for a year, it aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featu ...

'' and was the announcer for the 34th NAACP Image Awards and the 2003 Essence Awards. He was a guest presenter at the first annual Voice 2007 in Las Vegas and a featured speaker and panelist for two consecutive years at Voice Coaches Expo in

Schenectady, New York Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...

. He has taught his voice-over workshop in various locations around the country that include, New York, Chicago, Nashville, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. He has also been a guest lecturer for the Theatre Department at Western Michigan University, California State University, Northridge and the Black Theatre Festival in

Winston-Salem Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the fifth-most populous city in North Carolina and the 91st-most populous city in the Uni ...

. Saulsberry has appeared at several book-signing events, including Borders and Barnes and Noble, and he is a regular featured panelist and workshop instructor for the SAG Foundation in support of the

Don LaFontaine Donald LeRoy LaFontaine (August 26, 1940 – September 1, 2008) was an American voice actor who recorded more than 5,000 film trailers and hundreds of thousands of television advertisements, network promotions, and video game trailers over fou ...

Voice-Over Lab. Rodney was a guest on the web series VO Buzz Weekly where he performed his motivational R&B single, "Miracles" from his album, "Better Than Before."Webinfo Portal

Discography

*'' Midnight Crossing'' (1988) - "Alone" (writer, performer) *''

Night and the City ''Night and the City'' is a 1950 British film noir directed by Jules Dassin and starring Richard Widmark, Gene Tierney and Googie Withers. It is based on the novel of the same name by Gerald Kersh. Shot on location in London and at Shepp ...

'' (1992) - "Love Doesn’t Matter" (performer) *''

I'll Do Anything ''I'll Do Anything'' is a 1994 American comedy-drama film written and directed by James L. Brooks. While a large part of the film is a satire of the film industry, it also skewers relationships from various angles. Its primary plot concerns a d ...

'' (1994) - "I'll Do Anything" (background vocals) *''

The Lion King ''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical coming-of-age drama film directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, produced by Don Hahn, and written by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton. Produced by Walt Disney ...

'' (1994) - "

Hakuna Matata "Hakuna matata" () is a Swahili language phrase. In English, it means "no trouble" or "no worries" and "take it easy" (literally ''hakuna'': "there is no/there are no"; ''matata'': "worries"). The 1994 Walt Disney Animation Studios animated film ...

", " Circle of Life" (background vocals) *'' Sprung'' (1997) - "We Are Love" (Writer, performer) *''

The Prince of Egypt ''The Prince of Egypt'' is a 1998 American animated musical drama film directed by Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, and Simon Wells, and written by Philip LaZebnik, from a story by Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook. Produced by DreamWorks Pictur ...

'' (1998) - "Playing with the Big Boys" (background vocals) *'' Michael Jordan: An American Hero'' (1999) - "I'm So Glad You're Mine" (Writer, performer) *'' Adventureland'' (2009) - "I Need to Know" (writer, performer) *''

'' (2010) - "Miracles", "I Like It Girl", "I Gotta Lot of Friends", "Love In Your Heart" (writer, performer) *''Just Another Day'' (2010) - "Better Than Before" (Writer, performer) *'' Paranormal Activity 3'' (2011) - "Who Do You Love" (writer, performer)

Awards

In 2011, Saulsberry received a nomination from the 42nd NAACP Image Awards committee in the category of Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series for his role of Anthony on ''The Bold and the Beautiful''. In 2012, Saulsberry received a second nomination from the 44th NAACP Image Awards committee in the category of Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series for his role of Anthony on "The Bold and the Beautiful". Saulsberry played the lead role in the Academy Award-winning short film ''

Violet Violet may refer to: Common meanings * Violet (color), a spectral color with wavelengths shorter than blue * One of a list of plants known as violet, particularly: ** ''Viola'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants Places United States * Vi ...

'' (1981).

References

External links

* * *
NPR: "Voice-Over Biz with Rodney Saulsberry"Rodney Saulsberry's YouTube channelVoice Over TimesVoice Chasers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saulsberry, Rodney Living people 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male voice actors American male video game actors American male television actors American male film actors American male soap opera actors 20th-century African-American male actors 21st-century African-American male actors Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people)